Hi, I've read it somewhere (here?) some time ago; it could possibly explain the bad time I had few days ago at the range. With my Tikka T3 Lite cal 270WSM, I couldn't get any group better than 7-8 inches at 200 meters, while I usually get 2-3 inches. Impacts shifted both horizontally and vertically without any cure. All the screws were tight, over 1 minute between the shots, cool, nice weather and almost no wind, steady rest, carefully handloaded ammos. I hope to go back to the range within 2-3 days with another scope installed. What is your opinion?

What brand of scope and Rings do you have mounted ?.

If you've shot this rig before with same ammo and results vary this much ,

then one of the above is got to be bad , IMO !.

I own a couple of Tikka Lite and have no issues with either scope or rings .

My calibers are Slammers also .

quote:

Light, powerful rifles harsh on scopes?

but a 270 wsm isn't powerful enough...

check the action screws, bed the rifle, and try another scope, that one is junked

The BR crowd have had scopes change POA shooting the 6PPC. I would almost bet that he has a scope problem, assuming the bases and rings are secure.
Butch

Ooops! The current scope is a Bushnell 4200 3.5-10x50, EAW bases and rings; I'm switching to a Burris Signature Select 3-12x44 for the test.

Jeffe you're right, the 270WSM is not really powerful; I meant that the recoil is rather stiff, IMO.

ALL the screws have been immediately checked at the range.

I had quite a few problems with a new Leupold on a .300 RUM. I would make scope adjustments only to have them change after a shot or two. Contacted Leupold and they advised rapping on the turret after each adjustment. This worked most of them time and eventually I got things locked into place where I wanted them. Wasted a bunch of ammo in the process. Tech indicated that the recoil was jarring something and causing POI to change.

6-7 inch groups usually are the result of scope error or other bad fittings such as mounts or guard screws. Sometimes however it's the shooter!

DC, I knew about the "rapping trick" several years ago and I always use it.

Rolltop, I'm not a marksman but only an average-to-good shooter. Nevertheless, I cannot conceive to obtain 7-8 inch groups with that rifle only due to a gross and sudden loss of skilfulness.

Light rifle, short fat cartridge that burns the powder column faster (more efficiently, they call it) and the result is rapid acceleration of the scope, which, in your case, weighs perhaps 20% as much as you rifle, which is light (and accelerates quickly).

Get a lighter scope, with the lowest variable ratio you can or go with fixed power. Use binoculars for "spotting" and lower power scope for shootin.

That short fat cartridge in a light rifle is why maybe 35% of the first .300 WSMs sold in a shop in MS that I used to hang out in came back within two weeks, traded on something that didn't "kick" as much, even regular length Mags.The comlaint was always -"kicks too much".

Light rifle, light scope. Heavy rifle, regular cartridge, any scop you want. Heavy rifle, huge recoil, lighter scope. Fewer moving parts.

Also, check the muzzle crown. One tiny nick can do exactly what you describe.

The Bushnell 4200 is a pretty good scope, I think. But, the only scopes that can handle fast recoil (acceleration) are few in number.

You can look up articles by Barseness as he has covered that issue thoroughly.

Good luck.

Kondor, I had that issue trying some hot loads that were quite unpleasant to shoot, due to the sharp recoil and the strong blast; I'm reloading some lighter loads now for my "new scope" test. The muzzle is OK.

Wildboar


Every mfg has has a bad scope put into service.



Sounds like you got a bad one....



cal30

Cal30, I must say that the Bushnell worked very well for over 3 years on that rifle and it isn't yet 100% sure it's broken, though. Unfortunately today the weather is very windy, but I hope to go to the range tomorrow; I'm very curious.....

quote:

Originally posted by wildboar:
Kondor, I had that issue trying some hot loads that were quite unpleasant to shoot, due to the sharp recoil and the strong blast; I'm reloading some lighter loads now for my "new scope" test. The muzzle is OK.

That's a lot of scope for hunting wild boar. If you get a couple Argentine Dogos, you won't even need to carry a gun for boar. They'll kill it for you. And eat it too if you don't hurry to the bay.

Hot loads. Some years ago,I was shooting a single action .45 colt Ruger with some hot hardcast loads and the guy in the next lane ask me what I was shooting. I showed him and he gave me a card, saying, "This is my Doctor's card". I aked him what he meant. He said tendonitis. I laughed at him. About a week later I couldn't shake hands or make a fist.

I have a Steyr SBS in 7mm08 that is so comfortable to shoot with 140gr Remington factory ammo that I can watch the impact on the paper.

I have a ruger No 1 in 45.70 that makes me cry when I shoot a heavy hot load at velocity - Garrett's. It has a receiver sight and is very light. We're talking detached retinas here. Makes a .338 Win Mag feel like a .22.

.308 Win, 168 gr Sierra MK at 2600 fps - a pleasant shoot. And, accurate!

I watched an episode of Bourdain where he hunted boar in Italy and then they cooked it up for a traditional meal. Very pleasant!

I use the Tikka for roe deer and chamois hunting; I've shot a few at +250 meters, that's why I want a 10x scope; most of the time I keep it at 6-8x, though. I will go to the range this afternoon; I'll post the results.

Just trying to be helpful - I had something like that with my humble little hornet. The scope objective lens screws onto the body and unless it is very tight.... If I loosen it and wiggle the lens carrier around, the object image moves significantly. Even when it 'felt' tight, a hand bump would move the image. This is the only scope I know of that is constructed in this way but there is no reason why a different construction scope should not have the objective lens locking ring loose enough for the lens to move. I have also seen a two-piece body scope being loose in the middle - also hard to detect when mounted in the rings.

How is that combo working on 100m?

Did You cleaned the barrel very very well???

If not, the problem on fast bullets could be fouling and so try to remove all copper. I have this problem also on my .30-06 Remington Titanium (also very lightweight) - after 20-30 rounds the barrel is fouled too much, so I must clean it very well !

If it should be the scope, try a much better one! You pay so much time and money for a hunt that just the best is good enough. I am happy to have a Swarovski 3-12x50 scope on my Remington Titanium - awesome combo and there is no doubt: even if a lightweight gun punches as scope harder, the Swarovski is working excellent and needs more recoil to stop working than I ever could give him on a normal gun...!

Klaus

I'm betting it's the scope that may have busted . I experienced a similar mishap a few years back

while using a lessor quality scope on a .338 Lapua Mag . Cam Tube gave up reticule wouldn't stay

in place . Bought a Zeiss end of story .

I'm just back from the range; unsurprisingly, the culprit was the Bushnell scope; with the almost new Burris, I could get one 4 rounds group at 100 meters and one at 200 meters, both measuring about 1 moa. An aquaintance had a similar problem with a bad Bushnell scope a couple of years ago. Thanks for your feedback!

Klaus and Doc, I agree with you, but Swaro an Zeiss are very expensive...a little too much for me at the present time.

Good that you found the culprit. I have seen some scopes that actually rattled after being used on some hard kickers but I have seen many more mounts that were damaged by recoil. The Redfield, Leupold, Burris, etc style will give up the rear ring windage screws regularly on hard kickers unless you can keep the scope "glued" in place in the rings. Sako rings will split with some heavy scopes and heavy recoil. Can't leave out the aluminum Weaver bases being damaged by the cross bolt with hard kickers.

I have had extremely good luck with Nikons as their on several of my rifles .338 Lapua and 7Rem Mag

including my .375 H&H 5 X 20 X 44 Just for target reloading groupings .

For hunting with it I use the same bases but not rings

I jump up too 30mm Nikon 1.5 X 6 X 42 which is more suitable for what I have used that Rifle for .

I hear what your saying about $$$$$ , as I find myself no longer purchasing either Zeiss or Leupold

any longer . Although I still own a couple of each and they are Excellent Scopes , but way over priced

now days for me also !. Some People still laugh at me , when I show up with an

Old Simmons Aetec 2.8 X 10 X 44 mounted on my Black Rifle . Until my targets come back and those hand loads

are inside .375" for #15 shots at 100 Meters . Until they get out side of 1.0" I'm not fooling with

that scope or rings !!. I hear all kinds of horror stories about this and that scope cheap

an expensive alike . I know which ones I would NEVER BUY because my buddy's

and I have tested so many them with calibers from .17HMR-.416 Rigby .

I mounted a Simmons 6 X 24 X 50 Prairie Master( Actually two ) on my .338 Lapua Mag

went too the range figured # 5-10 shots and I would ship it back broken as the recoil is more than

my .375 H&H . Well 5 days 52 shots later it was still hitting POA !. So I mounted the other one

after 20 shots and all was well My shoulder gave up . So still got both those and another White tail model

which are holding up just fine !. More than I could say for those two Weavers of mine which are both broken !!.

So one just never knows do they ?. Zeiss Leupold Nikon Simmons have been serving me VERY WELL !.

Optics quality Zeiss Hands Down Period Next Nikon or Leupold as I can't tell the difference ( Really can't ).

Life time guarantee so which ever one floats your fancy .

Yes, light, powerful rifles should be harder on scopes than other rifles, but....

If you do the math, the acceleration on a slide mounted pistol scope should be way higher.

Pellet guns can impart a forward acceleration.

Cantilevered shaped scope mounts [2 holes drilled and tapped into the large ring, and the rest of the mount hanging over the mag well] will ring in the vertical direction after firing. I destroyed a Leupold 2x7x32, the reticle fell down. Leupold sent me a new scope